A food manufacturing company in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is recruiting a highly experienced, certified, and strategically capable HSE & QA Senior Manager to lead and integrate the Health, Safety, Environment, and Quality Assurance functions across its production facility. Reporting directly to the Plant Director, this is the site’s most senior authority on all HSE and QA matters — responsible for full regulatory compliance with SFDA, Civil Defense, MEWA, and international food safety and occupational health frameworks, while embedding a culture of safety, quality, and continuous improvement across all production operations. This role demands 8 to 10 years of progressive experience, NEBOSH certification, HACCP practitioner status, and ISO 22000/FSSC 22000 Lead Auditor credentials.
Required: NEBOSH Certificate/Diploma | HACCP Practitioner | ISO 22000 / FSSC 22000 Lead Auditor | ISO 45001 Lead Auditor (Preferred) | SFDA / Civil Defense Regulatory Experience
About the Role — HSEQ Senior Manager in Jeddah Food Manufacturing
Reports To: Plant Director — this is the site’s highest-authority HSE and QA leadership role, with direct senior management reporting and board-level visibility on safety and quality matters
Regulatory Framework: SFDA (Saudi Food and Drug Authority), Civil Defense, MEWA (Ministry of Environment, Water & Agriculture), and GSO (Gulf Standards Organization) food safety standards
Quality Standards: ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, HACCP — full ownership of the site’s Food Safety Management System and food safety certification programme
Safety Standards: ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety management) and ISO 14001 (environmental management) — site-level ownership of both management systems
Team Leadership: Building, leading, and developing a high-performing HSE and QA team with recruitment, coaching, and succession planning responsibility
Why Join This Company as HSEQ Senior Manager in Jeddah?
Senior Leadership Position: Report directly to the Plant Director — the most visible and strategically influential HSE/QA role in the facility, with genuine impact on company-wide safety and quality culture
Tax-Free Saudi Salary: Highly competitive SAR compensation package in Saudi Arabia’s zero-income-tax environment — senior HSEQ managers with SFDA and ISO certification experience are among the highest-compensated professionals in Saudi food manufacturing
Vision 2030 Alignment: Saudi Arabia’s food manufacturing sector is a strategic priority under Vision 2030 — HSEQ leadership roles in this sector carry growing national and commercial importance
Comprehensive Scope: Own both the HSE and QA functions simultaneously — a rare and career-defining dual-function senior role that builds the broadest and most valuable HSEQ management credentials in the GCC
Position Overview
This HSE & QA Senior Manager position at a food manufacturing facility in Jeddah is a senior full-time, on-site leadership role that integrates and leads the Health, Safety, Environment, and Quality Assurance functions across the entire site — reporting directly to the Plant Director and serving as the site’s highest authority on all HSEQ matters. You will develop and continuously improve the site’s HSE management system in accordance with ISO 45001 and ISO 14001; own and maintain the Food Safety Management System under ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, and HACCP; ensure full compliance with SFDA, Civil Defense, MEWA, and GSO food safety regulations; lead all internal and external audits including customer audits, certification body assessments, and government inspections; manage QA across raw materials, in-process, and finished products; drive supplier quality programmes; and build a high-performing team of HSE and QA professionals through leadership, coaching, and succession planning. This is a role that demands minimum 8 to 10 years of progressive HSEQ experience — with at least 5 years at senior or managerial level — NEBOSH International General Certificate or Diploma, certified HACCP practitioner status, ISO 22000/FSSC 22000 Lead Auditor certification, and demonstrated experience managing SFDA, Civil Defense, or equivalent Saudi regulatory authority relationships.
Why This Role Matters: As HSEQ Senior Manager in Jeddah, you carry the highest safety and quality responsibility on a food manufacturing site — your management systems, your audit discipline, and your regulatory relationships directly protect workers from harm, ensure consumers receive safe food, and keep the facility operating legally and competitively under Saudi Arabia’s evolving food safety regulatory framework, you embed a genuine culture of safety and quality — not just compliance paperwork — across every level of the production workforce through visible leadership, behaviour-based safety programmes, and food safety training that makes HSEQ everyone’s daily responsibility, the dual HSE and QA scope of this role is genuinely rare at this seniority level — building a professional track record that combines occupational safety leadership, food safety management, environmental compliance, and Saudi regulatory authority management into one of the most comprehensively valued HSEQ career portfolios in the GCC food manufacturing sector, and your work under Vision 2030 contributes to making Saudi food manufacturing safer, cleaner, and more internationally competitive — a genuinely national and strategic purpose alongside the operational daily impact.
Key Responsibilities
A. Health, Safety & Environment
- Develop, implement, and continuously improve the site’s HSE management system in full alignment with ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 standards — ensuring the system is certified, audit-ready, and operationally embedded
- Lead risk assessments, job hazard analyses, and incident investigations across production, warehousing, and logistics — ensuring root causes are identified, corrective actions are implemented, and recurrence is prevented
- Own emergency preparedness and response plans — including fire safety protocols, evacuation drills, and close coordination with Saudi Civil Defense to ensure site readiness and regulatory compliance at all times
- Monitor and report on environmental compliance in line with MEWA regulations — covering waste management, emissions, and water discharge — maintaining the environmental certifications and permits required for legal facility operation
- Champion a proactive safety culture through toolbox talks, behaviour-based safety programmes, and visible HSE leadership on the production floor — making safety a lived daily value rather than a compliance formality
- Maintain and audit permit-to-work systems for all high-risk activities — confined space entry, working at height, hot work, and lockout-tagout — ensuring zero compromise on high-risk work control
B. Quality Assurance & Food Safety
- Own the site’s Food Safety Management System — maintaining ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000 certification and ensuring all HACCP principles are implemented, monitored, and fully documented across production activities
- Ensure full, documented compliance with Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) regulations and GSO food safety standards — positioning the facility for regulatory inspections and third-party audits at all times
- Lead all internal and external quality audits — including customer audits, ISO certification body assessments, and SFDA government inspections — achieving zero critical non-conformances as the target standard
- Oversee raw material, in-process, and finished product quality control — managing specifications, sampling plans, laboratory testing programmes, and quality release decisions across the production operation
- Manage non-conformance investigation, root cause analysis, CAPA implementation, and product recall procedures — ensuring quality issues are resolved swiftly, completely, and with documented preventive action
- Drive the supplier quality assurance programme — managing the approved supplier list, incoming material verification, supplier audits, and corrective action processes to protect the integrity of the raw material supply chain
C. Regulatory Compliance & Government Relations
- Serve as the site’s primary point of contact for SFDA, Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Civil Defense, MEWA, and all other relevant Saudi regulatory authorities — building professional, cooperative relationships that support smooth regulatory interactions
- Maintain all operational licenses, permits, and certifications required for legal food manufacturing operation in Saudi Arabia — ensuring renewal timelines are tracked and no permits lapse
- Prepare the facility for third-party certification audits and Saudi government inspections with zero critical non-conformances as the defined performance standard
D. Team Leadership & Continuous Improvement
- Build, lead, and develop a high-performing HSE and QA team — overseeing recruitment, day-to-day coaching, performance management, and succession planning to ensure team capability keeps pace with site growth
- Partner with Production, Engineering, and Supply Chain leadership to embed HSE and quality requirements into daily operations and cross-functional decision-making
- Deliver HSE and food safety training programmes for all workforce levels — including comprehensive inductions for new employees and contractor personnel on site
- Prepare and present monthly HSE and quality performance reports to senior management — covering leading and lagging indicators, audit findings, CAPA status, and continuous improvement initiatives with year-over-year trend analysis
Qualifications & Requirements
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Health & Safety, Food Science, Industrial Engineering, or a closely related technical field is required
- Master’s degree in a relevant discipline is a meaningful advantage and will strengthen a candidate’s application for this senior leadership role
Experience
- Minimum 8 to 10 years of progressive experience in HSE and/or Quality Assurance roles — with at least 5 years in a senior or managerial capacity with direct team leadership responsibility
- Prior experience within food manufacturing, FMCG, or process industries is strongly preferred — understanding the specific quality and safety challenges of food production environments
- Demonstrated experience managing regulatory relationships with SFDA, Civil Defense, or equivalent GCC authorities — practical Saudi regulatory interaction experience is a significant advantage
- Proven track record leading successful ISO and food safety certification audits covering ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, ISO 45001, and ISO 14001
Certifications
- NEBOSH International General Certificate or Diploma in Occupational Health & Safety — REQUIRED and non-negotiable
- Certified HACCP Practitioner and Lead Auditor certification in ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000 — REQUIRED
- ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 Lead Auditor certification — preferred and a meaningful differentiator
- IOSH Managing Safely or equivalent — an advantage
- Membership in a recognized HSE or food safety professional body such as IIRSM or IFST — a plus
About the Employer — Jeddah Food Manufacturing Facility
This HSEQ Senior Manager opportunity is with a food manufacturing company based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia — a production facility operating under the full scope of Saudi food safety and occupational health regulatory requirements, including SFDA licensing, Civil Defense compliance, MEWA environmental standards, and international ISO certifications. The facility is committed to achieving and maintaining the highest standards of food safety, worker health and safety, and environmental stewardship — and is investing in senior HSEQ leadership to drive these standards as both a regulatory requirement and a competitive differentiator in Saudi Arabia’s growing food manufacturing sector under Vision 2030.
Who Should Apply?
- Senior HSEQ Managers: With 8–10 years of progressive HSE and QA experience — including at least 5 years at managerial level — in food manufacturing, FMCG, or process industry environments
- NEBOSH & HACCP Certified Leaders: Holding mandatory NEBOSH qualification, HACCP practitioner certification, and ISO 22000/FSSC 22000 Lead Auditor credentials
- Saudi Regulatory Experienced Professionals: With a track record of managing SFDA, Civil Defense, and MEWA relationships and maintaining food manufacturing regulatory compliance in the Kingdom
- ISO Multi-Standard Specialists: Who have led and maintained certification across ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, ISO 45001, and ISO 14001 simultaneously within a single facility
- Jeddah-Based or Relocating GCC HSEQ Professionals: Ready to take the plant’s highest HSEQ leadership position and report directly to the Plant Director in a strategically important Saudi food manufacturing role
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